Wednesday, August 30, 2006

SalamsI thought I would dedicate this post to the subject of the Masjid, its virtues and status in the eyes of a Muslim.

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) narrates that he heard Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه و سلم) say:"Allah Ta'ala will grant His Shade to seven (types) of persons on the day when their will be no shade besides His Shade. (Among the seven) one is a man whose heart is attached to the Masjid." [Bukhari, Muslim]

Hadhrat Abu Darda (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) said:“Whoever walks to the Masjid in the darkness of the night, will meet Allah with Noor on the Day of Qiyaamah.” [Tibraani]

Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) said:“For every step taken by one who proceeds to the Masjid for Jamaat Salaat, a sin (which he had already committed) is wiped out and a good deed is recorded. This happens in going to as well as in returning from the Masjid.” The thawaab for proceeding to and even returning from the Masjid is indeed colossal. There is no limit to Allah’s mercy. Subhanallah, Allah rewards us for merely taking a step towards the Masjid, and then we are rewarded again for the performance of our prayer in the Masjid with congregation. Also, if after entering the Masjid one makes the intention of Naf’l I’tikaaf then for the duration of salaah, dhikr, ibaadah and listening to a talk you can also receive the reward of I’tikaaf for that duration of time.

Hadhrat Abu Umaamah (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) said:“Whoever proceeds to the Masjid having only the intention of learning or teaching some goodness (something of the Deen), will receive the reward of a perfect Hajj." [Tibraani]Hadhrat Anas (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) said:“Refrain from these foul-smelling (vegetables) before coming to our Masaajid. If you wish to eat these, then eliminate the bad odour with fire. (i.e. by means of cooking).” [Tibraani]This hadith prohibits the eating of raw garlic, onions and the like before coming to the Masjid. Other ahadith specifically mention garlic and onions.

Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) said:“Whoever removes from the Masjid any offensive item, Allah Ta’ala will in return erect for him a palace in Jannat.” [Ibn Majah]Since Masaajid are places of sanctity, nothing impure should be taken in. Impure garments and people in the state of impurity should not enter the Masaajid.

Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mas'ood (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه و سلم ) said:“Soon will there be such people who will indulge in (worldly) conversation inside the Masjid. Allah cares not for them.” [Ibn Habbaan]

This hadith refers to the prohibition of worldly talk inside the Masjid. It mentions the displeasure of Allah Ta’ala. Such people are deprived of His Mercy and instead invite Allah’s Wrath. Before or after salah one should not simply hang around chit chatting casually about this and that, if we won’t engage in ibaadah or dhikr we should leave the Masjid and save the conversation for another place in order to secure ourselves from displeasing Almighty Allah.

May Allah accept our acts of walking to/from the Masaajid, accept whatever good we perform in them manifold and attach our hearts to the Masjid, ameen.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Sheikh Hasan was born and brought up in the West Midlands of England and his early years were spent in secular education in state schools. At the age of fourteen he embarked upon studying Islamic sciences at traditional boarding schools in the UK. First he memorised the Qur'an during GCSE studies and then began to learn the Arabic language together with many other sciences (known as the Dars Nizami).

In 1997, after nine years of studying in boarding schools and graduating with an Aalimiyyah (MA Islamic Studies) he became the Imam of London Islamic Cultural Society in North London. Here, he served the community for several years by holding several classes in addition to the duties of an Imam. These classes consisted of Tafseer, Hadith, Arabic, Tajweed etc and were taught to all age groups.

Sheikh Hasan also set up a weekend Islamic School at this mosque better known as the LICS Maktab. To this date he is still actively involved in teaching and running the school. The school currently has 10 members of staff and 150 students (between the age of 4-18) who are taught Tajweed, Fiqh, Islamic General Knowledge, Aqeedah and Arabic. The Sheikh is currently authoring a syllabus for weekend Islamic schools.

Between 2000 and 2003 he was the Imam, Head of Islamic Studies and Head of Arabic Studies and a member of the school's Senior Management Team at Yusuf Islam's Brondesbury College for Boys in Kilburn, North London. The Sheikh, here, devised an entire Syllabus for this secondary school and also contributed largely to the gapping of the physical and spiritual life of both staff and students.

In March 2003, together with other educationalists, he set up the Ebrahim Community College in East London where he is serving as the Director of Human Resources and teaching on a part-time basis. He is also conducting an MA in Educational Psychology at the Institute of Education, University of London. Furthermore, he is the Senior Religious Advisor for Media4insight and we would like to take the opportunity here to thank the Sheikh for his invaluable time and his intuitive vision.

His upbringing in the UK combined with his knowledge of Islamic sciences and day-to-day interaction with Muslims in various fields makes him a unique and inspiring lecturer. He focuses on real issues concerning the Ummah and through his lectures wants people to make a change in their lives for their benefit and the benefit of the society around them. He wants Muslims to advance in all aspects of their lives and be models as individuals in society, in their homes and at their workplace. He has lectured on a wide range of inspiring and relevant topics.

May Allah give him a long pious life and benefit the Ummah with the gifts He has endowed him, ameen.source: Media4Insight

Monday, August 21, 2006

Abu Abdullah, Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn Amer al-Asbahee was born in Madinah in the year 93 A.H. (714 CE). His ancestral home was in Yemen, but his grandfather settled in Madinah after embracing Islam.

Born into a well-to-do family, Malik did not need to work for a living. He was highly attracted to the study of Islam, and ended up devoting his entire life to the study of Fiqh. He received his education in what was the most important seat of Islamic learning, Madinah, and lived where the immediate descendants and the followers of the companions of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, were living.

It is said that he sought out over three hundred Tabi'een or those who saw and followed the companions of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Imam Malik held the hadeeth of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, in such reverence that he never narrated, taught any hadeeth or gave a fatwa without being in a state of ritual purity, Ghusl. Ismael ibn abi Uwaiss said,"I asked my uncle –Malik - about something. He had me sit, made ablution, then said, 'Laa hawla wala quwata illa billah.' He did not give any fatwa without saying it first."

Also, Malik saw fatwa as a sensitive, precise, and important action that can have far reaching results, and used to be extremely careful about giving it to the extent that if he was not sure about a matter, he would not dare to talk. Al-Haytham said,"I once was with Malik when he was asked more than forty questions and I heard him reply, 'I do not know,' to thirty two of them."

Yet, he was the man about whom ash-Shafi'ee said, 'When scholars are mentioned, Malik is like the star among them.' Malik said that he did not sit to give fatwa, before seventy of the Madinah scholars first witnessed to his competence in doing so.

Malik became the Imam of the Madinah, and one of the most renowned Imams of Islam.

He is the author of al-Muwatta' ("The Approved"), formed of the sound narrations from the Prophet together with the sayings of his companions, their followers, and those after them. Malik said,"I showed my book to seventy scholars of Madinah, and every single one of them approved it for me (kulluhum wata-ani alayh), so I named it 'The Approved'."

Imam Bukhari said that the soundest of all chains of transmission was "Malik, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar." The scholars of hadeeth call it the Golden Chain, and there are eighty narrations with this chain in the Muwatta. Malik composed al-Muwatta in the course of forty years, having started with ten thousand narrations until he reduced them to their present number of fewer than 2,000.

Like all scholars of Islam, Malik was famous for his piety and integrity. He courageously stood up, and was prepared to suffer, for his convictions. When the governor of Madinah demanded and forced people to take the oath of allegiance to Khalifah al-Mansour, Imam Malik issued a fatwa that such an oath was not binding because it was given under coercion. He based this opinion of the hadeeth, "The divorce of the coerced does not take effect" (laysa ala mustakrahin talag). This resulted in many people finding courage to express their opposition, but the Imam was arrested, found guilty of defiance, and publicly flogged.

Malik's followers and disciples developed a Fiqh school, Madh-hab, based on his Ijtihad which came to be known as the Maliki Madh-hab. This Madh-hab spread in North Africa, al-Andalus, much of Egypt, and some of al-Sham, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, and Khurasan. Today, Malikis are mostly found in North and West Africa, Egypt, Sudan and the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula.

On Monday 14th of Rabi-ul-Awwal 179 A H., Imaam Malik (R.A) took leave from this world in the city of Madinah and is buried in the famous al-Baqie cemetery.Source: Madrassah In'amiyyah

Thursday, August 17, 2006

A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3 while some up to 5 potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

Day after day passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags.

After 1 week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended. The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime???"

Moral of the story: Throw away any hatred for anyone from your heart so that you will not carry sins for a life time. Forgiving others is the best attitude to take, forgive others like you would like yourself to be forgiven for your mistakes and misgivings.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Adhering to a request by a fellow Muslim and in connection to/ continuation of Durood on Friday, I thought I would post about...

The 'night program':

To say sallallahu alayhi wasallam, 10 times before going to sleep.

(seems so small and minute, and nothing major, and less than 15 seconds to say it, right?)

If you say sallallahu alayhi wasallam once you get 10 good deeds to your account, 10 sins taken away, 10 blessings sent upon you and you are raised 10 degrees in heaven...... for saying it once, can you believe that?

And if you say that above 10 times, you get what? You do the Maths...

So from today onwards, we suggest you add this to your daily life, few seconds of your precious life, before you go to sleep, to say 10 salutations upon the prophet, sallallahu alayhi wasallam, as we forget at times, we suggest you put on a sticky note '10 Duroods before sleep' and stick it next to your pillow.. or make ways to remember it. If you recite other surahs (the 3 Quls), then add this alongside with it.By adding this small, minor, few seconds to do action in your life, you will be getting 100 good deeds each night, that is amazing, isn't it? Those of us who worry about our sins, 700 sins taken away each week from 1 minute of work throughout the week? Cool...

We also recommend that you recite the salutations anytime, whoever you may be, and reap the benefits of it too. Imagine you are on you way to a destination, and you are getting 100 blessings sent upon you, by mere 10 sallallahu alayhi wasallam, blessings can be in many different forms...

Some after being informed about this hidden or unknown deed in their lifes, have introduced it alongside their salat too, were if they say it once, you will be getting raised 50 degrees in heaven, each day, by saying it once after every fardh salat...

Whatever is best suited to you, please use this valuable action and bring it to your lifes.... and also 10 before sleep.www.belovedscall.com

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Abu Hurayra (R.A) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,"A Muslim has five rights over another Muslim: returning the Salam, visiting the sick, joining funeral processions, accepting invitations and blessing those who sneeze."[Agreed upon] Riyad as-Salihin

Monday, August 07, 2006

SalamsA while back, when I blogged 'Journey to Hajj' I mentioned briefly the Jamarat project which had commenced the day after Hajj had finished. As part of the process of checking the site stats I came accross these photos of the proposed new Jamarat. I thought I would share them with you here. Enjoy...

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